IBM Problem Determination Tools Plug-ins

The GUI provides a workstation alternative to the z/OS ISPF interface. With this new interface, existing application developers and system programmers may experience productivity gains over the traditional "green screen" interface. The new interface can also lower the learning curve for new z/OS developers, making them proficient quicker by providing an Eclipse-based interface to the z/OS tool that is easier and more familiar for new hires to pickup and use.

An example of the Problem Determination Tools plug-ins shown in CICS Explorer:

IBM Application Performance Analyzer Plug-in for Eclipse, when integrated with Application Performance Analyzer for z/OS and CICS Explorer, encompasses both the Observation Request and Reporting functions, including the R02 screens list, detail views, edit functions and reports for the Observation. The plug-in GUI can be used for submitting new observation requests and for navigating the performance analysis reports generated from observation requests. The plug-in GUI can display and provide functions to multiple components of Application Performance Analyzer at the same time. The major views include:

• STC View, which lists all active started tasks

• Observations List View, which lists all observations

• Observation Detail View, which provides details of an observation

• Reports List View, which lists all reports for an observation

• Report View, which displays an individual report

IBM Debug Tool Plug-in for Eclipse, when integrated with Debug Tool for z/OS and CICS Explorer, debugs z/OS-based load modules running on MVS, including load modules that run in a subsystem like CICS, DB2 or IMS. The plug-in GUI interface allows you to access debugging capability similar to that accessed by the ISPF interface, allowing you to do the following tasks:

• Set and clear breakpoints at a specific line

• Set and clear breakpoints for an error or warning-level error that is based on Language Environment severities

• Run to a breakpoint

• Step into a procedure

• Step over a procedure

• View variable values and change them as you step through the code

• View variable values in the context of a larger area of storage

• View the call stack

IBM Fault Analyzer Plug-in for Eclipse, when integrated with Fault Analyzer for z/OS and CICS Explorer, provides access to problem reports for diagnosing mainframe application errors and ABENDs. Key features include:

• An interface to manage views and multiple fault history files

• The ability to browse fault entries that were created during real-time analysis of abending programs

• A browser for browsing the dump storage associated with a fault entry

• A source listing of abending programs using side files

IBM File Manager Plug-in for Eclipse, when integrated with File Manager for z/OS and CICS Explorer, provides a set of tools for manipulating and browsing data stored in various z/OS resources including data sets, UNIX System Services files, and IBM WebSphere MQ queues. The File Manager plug-in for Eclipse supports the following usage scenarios:

• Creation, modification and update of File Manager templates. Using the plug-in, you can create templates from COBOL, PL/I and HLASM copybooks. You can also create dynamic templates on the fly if you do not have a copybook to describe your data.

• File Manager editor which allows you to manipulate and browse data. The editor provides three different views of data:
     1. Formatted/Table display using template.
     2. Character display (text based presentation of data).
     3. Single display using template (focussed on the display fields defined in a record).

• Allocate data sets, compare data sets, copy data sets, and create data File Manager utility functions.

IBM Workload Simulator Plug-in for Eclipse, when used with an Eclipse-based platform (like CICS Explorer), provides easy access through a graphical user interface. (GUI) on the workstation to Workload Simulator for z/OS and OS/390. The GUI provides the ability to help manage the test process and automatically generate Workload Simulator scripts and networks from VTAM and CPI-C trace data.